you can argue against any of these per sport (not a multi sport athlete) but I’m just going with what appears to be the consensus.
All time sports GOAT
- Thread starter Wildcats1st
- Start date
No Jim Thorpe, no care.
became the first Native American to win a gold medal for his home country. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
became the first Native American to win a gold medal for his home country. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), professional baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
I didn’t add Thorpe bc he wasn’t GOAT in anyone sport but he’s perhaps the greatest athlete of all time at least very high on the list based on his accomplishments.
You pluralized sport, Sport.
Gretzky, and no one else is even close.
No Brian Boitano?
He would kick an ass or two, that's what Brian Boitano would do.
He would kick an ass or two, that's what Brian Boitano would do.
Absolutely. The guy was basically an evolutionary step forward all by himself.
Over Pele?Ronaldo over Messi?![[eyeroll]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/rolleye/rolleye0011.r191677.gif "Eye roll [eyeroll]")
Easily, Pele played at the club level for the duration of his career at a minor league (or worse) level.Over Pele?
100% this. He dominated a sport like no one has or will ever dominate a sport. There is zero debate that he is the GOAT in his sport. None.
Probably a good point. No one will match what he did in the record books. And there’s such a huge gap between Gretz and number two more than there is in basketball like MJ.
All great options. For me, my very first thought after reading the title was Muhammad Ali. Not only did he brand himself as the greatest better than any other athlete in history but he accomplished more than enough to put forth a pretty damn good argument for the title. So he gets my vote.
Ya think? Add Tiger as well, who in his absolute peak was the GOAT golfer . . . . just did not have quite the lengthy career at the top that Jack did. But he was the champion of all 4 majors at the same time, which I would say, is an accomplishment EXTREMELY unlikely to ever be matched.
I'm disappointed no one mentioned Babe Ruth.
Before switching over to a full-time player he was the best left-hand pitcher in the American League for the Boston Red Sox.
Ruth's nine shutouts in 1916 set a league record for left-handers that would remain unmatched until Ron Guidry tied it in 1978.
In the 1918 World Series Ruth pitched 29 2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings, a record for the World Series that stood for more than 40 years until 1961, broken by Whitey Ford after Ruth's death. Ruth was prouder of that record than he was of any of his batting feats.
In 1919 Ruth broke the all-time single season Home Run record with 29.
In 1920 he broke his record with 54.
In 1921 he broke it again with 59. That was more than any other team in the American League. Think about that.
He led the league in home runs 12 times.
He still leads MLB with career WAR (wins above replacement) with 182.5.
He still leads MLB in career On-Base Plus Slugging with 1.164.
His record of 60 home runs in 1927 was the most revered record in American sports. It stood for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961 (in an expanded season. After 54 games -- as were all seasons prior to 1961 -- Maris had 59 homers).
Before switching over to a full-time player he was the best left-hand pitcher in the American League for the Boston Red Sox.
Ruth's nine shutouts in 1916 set a league record for left-handers that would remain unmatched until Ron Guidry tied it in 1978.
In the 1918 World Series Ruth pitched 29 2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings, a record for the World Series that stood for more than 40 years until 1961, broken by Whitey Ford after Ruth's death. Ruth was prouder of that record than he was of any of his batting feats.
In 1919 Ruth broke the all-time single season Home Run record with 29.
In 1920 he broke his record with 54.
In 1921 he broke it again with 59. That was more than any other team in the American League. Think about that.
He led the league in home runs 12 times.
He still leads MLB with career WAR (wins above replacement) with 182.5.
He still leads MLB in career On-Base Plus Slugging with 1.164.
His record of 60 home runs in 1927 was the most revered record in American sports. It stood for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961 (in an expanded season. After 54 games -- as were all seasons prior to 1961 -- Maris had 59 homers).
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Tiger. Single handedly put a sport on the map and made it a million times more popular than it had ever been. Even moreso than Jordan (#2 in my book).
Another tiger myth. Number of golfers dropped 12% from 2000-2012.
This vvvvvvvv guy and it’s not even close
I like how his tiddies hang over the top of his stomach.
Thorpe did all those other sports when all anybody really cared about was baseball.
I'd go with this order:
Ruth - by far the best player when all people really played was baseball (no black people were allowed to play baseball, of course, and that's why I don't have him #1)
Brady - 5 SBs
James - Working his way up the list
As for golf - who plays golf? Same for swimming?
I'd go with this order:
- Jordan
- Ruth
- Brady
- James
Ruth - by far the best player when all people really played was baseball (no black people were allowed to play baseball, of course, and that's why I don't have him #1)
Brady - 5 SBs
James - Working his way up the list
As for golf - who plays golf? Same for swimming?
I'm not sure he was even the best player on his team. It's hard to choose between him and Gehrig
Not buying that one bit. You can’t tell me he didn’t single handedly grow the game quite immensely.
Roger Federer tiger pissed his career away on hookers and big weight training. Federer is the greatest tennis player who ever lived . I’m betting that in 10 years nadal reveals he was doping dude is jacked
I gotta go with Ali. Jordan is a close second but IMO Ali is so far and away the greatest heavyweight of all time. And he missed out on several prime years due to the draft evasion. Had he kept boxing without interruption we could’ve seen better than what we saw at some point. Not just because he’s from Kentucky, the guy just had he heart of a champion, and he was really only defeated once before he was over the hill. I wouldn’t argue with someone who chose Jordan at all but I couldn’t pick anyone but Ali. He changed the culture of boxing. Ali ran his mouth so much and he backed it up. My step papaw hated Ali. He told me he waited and waited for somebody to finally shut him up but nobody ever did until Joe Frazier got the best of him in their first meeting.
I recant everything I just posted. Now to the GOAT....This vvvvvvvv guy and it’s not even close
You beat me to it. Tiger was the first "athlete" to play golf and he made the game cool for lots of kids here in the states and around the world, which is why the game has been taken over by all the young bombers on the PGA. Tiger in his prime was just so much better than everyone else and it wasn't even close. His influence on the game is evident today with guys like DJ, Koepka, Fowler, Spieth, Thomas, etc.
Jimmy Lee Fryman.
Any real sports - ones you can do while drinking beer.
The Hillbilly "Decathlon"
Darts
Golf
Pool
Softball
Video Games
Fishing, especially fishing
Hunting
etc.
Yeah, I know I did not list ten. Hence, the etc.
Nobody was going to hang with him. Nobody. : )
edit to add: Except Ping Pong. That one was mine.
But Jim Thorpe for real. Or Caitlin Jenner
Any real sports - ones you can do while drinking beer.
The Hillbilly "Decathlon"
Darts
Golf
Pool
Softball
Video Games
Fishing, especially fishing
Hunting
etc.
Yeah, I know I did not list ten. Hence, the etc.
Nobody was going to hang with him. Nobody. : )
edit to add: Except Ping Pong. That one was mine.
But Jim Thorpe for real. Or Caitlin Jenner
Nor did he play against Hispanics or Asians, so it is kind of hard for me to consider him the GOAT when his competition was so watered down vs. the modern game. Sort of like saying the Fabulous Five were the greatest basketball team of all time, when they played in an all white era
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